In August 2014, the Foundation teamed up with endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh to complete seven long-distance swims in under a month. He is the United Nations’ Patron of the Ocean, and the goal of the challenge was to highlight the need for more Marine Protected Areas in order to conserve the ocean for future generations. Lewis set out to complete the first long-distance swim in all the Seven Seas: the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, the Aegean, the Black, the Red, the Arabian, and finally the North Sea.
Meet IFAN: Helping Bring Navigate with Care to the Next Generation
If you’ve ever seen a lighthouse flashing from the shore or a brightly colored buoy bobbing in the water, you’ve seen Aids to Navigation at work.
Aids to Navigation, often called AtoNs, help mariners navigate safely. They can mark channels, warn of hazards, help vessels determine their position, and provide other information people need to make safe decisions on the water. Around the world, these systems help guide everything from small recreational boats to large commercial or container ships.
But safe navigation isn’t only about protecting vessels and the people aboard them. The choices mariners make can also affect the animals and ecosystems beneath and around them.
That connection between maritime safety and ocean conservation is at the heart of this year’s Science Without Borders® Challenge—and of our partnership with this year’s theme sponsor, the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN).
